I've Been Tagged!!!

I've been tagged by both Karen and Diana for this meme. Here are the rules:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

And here are my random facts:

1. I was born with an extra thumb on my right hand which my mother had the doctor remove when I was about three months old. My father, however, did not want it removed and was hoping that I would someday join the circus (thanks Dad!!)

2. I am left-handed.

3. I am the oldest of five children (I have three sisters and one brother). We all grew up in a cozy Cape Cod style home with one bathroom and one television and LOTS of pets! It was a little crowded and crazy at times, but I can never say that it was boring!

4. I love the Beatles and was so crazy about George that I attended three of his solo concerts in one week.

5. I love New York City, especially this time of year. I have spent my entire life living 30 miles or less from the Big Apple and it really is my favorite place in the world. There is so much to see and do there, you can spend an entire day just exploring one city block!

6. I am addicted to Heinz Ketchup and go through bottles of the stuff!

7. In college I studied art and nursing and have degrees in both, but I'm currently employed in an unrelated field. I do miss nursing and am hoping to re-enter the profession soon.

I'm not going to tag anyone since I've noticed that most of the blogs I visit have already been tagged. But I do hope anyone who sees this will play along, I find these kinds of posts are fun ways to get to know each other.

Here's a bonus random fact about me-I live in a crazy city! As I was writing this post, I heard some commotion outside and saw the police chasing some people through my neighbor's yard. Carlos is outside with his flashlight checking our yard and basement as I type this. There's never a dull moment around here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish all the wonderful friends I met in blogland a Happy Thanksgiving. You will never know how much I am inspired and encouraged by your posts and comments. I am thankful for each and every one of you.

I just finished baking two pies which I will be bringing over the river and through the woods to my sister's home in the northwestern part of New Jersey tomorrow. I just have to throw together one of those famous green bean casseroles in the morning and I'm good to go.

Enjoy your day tomorrow and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Giving Thanks

Today is the last day of Kelli's Giving Thanks posts. There's still a little time left, so if you have a Thanksgiving related post to share, please visit Kelli's blog for all the details.

Here is a recipe for pumpkin muffins which I clipped from my local newspaper about 20 years ago. The recipe is from the Publick House in Sturbridge, Mass. I'm thinking of making a batch tomorrow, for we may get a little bit of snow and that always gets me in the mood to bake something.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Mix sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Quickly stir together both mixtures. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let muffins cool a few moments in the pan before removing. Serve warm with butter or honey butter.

Here's a couple of my Thanksgiving decorations:

A Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 75th Anniversary Snowglobe:


They have a different one every year, but so far this is the only one I have.

This turkey hangs on our front door (gotta love those craft fairs!):



Thank you for visiting my Giving Thanks post and thank you, Kelli for hosting.

Veteran's Day

A hand reaches out to touch a name on the Vietnam Wall

To honor everyone, everywhere, past and present, who served during wartime:


IN MEMORY OF DEPARTED COMRADES

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;

I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there; I did not die in vain as
long as my sacrifice is not forgotten.

(Author Unknown)


My Dad served during the Korean War. His 75th birthday was a few days ago. Tonight my entire family will be celebrating with him.

Hope everyone has a blessed Veteran's Day

Show and Tell

It's Show and Tell Friday. If you have something you would like to share, please visit Kelli's blog and leave a link to your post.

I know I "show and telled" this Autumn Fire sedum in September, but I wanted to show you what it looks like now in its fall finery. The blooms have gradually darkened to a deep burgundy, eventually they will turn brown. The flash did go off when I took the picture, so the color looks a bit washed out.



Here's a close-up:


And this is how it looked in September:



Thank you for looking at my Show and Tell and thank you, Kelli for hosting.

Coffee Talk

Last night I tried something that I have never done before. I know you people are going to think that I have been living in a cave for the past ten years or so, but I had my first Starbucks coffee yesterday.

I've had several doctor's appointments and tests done in the past two weeks and last night I had one with a cardiologist. Something abnormal had shown up on my stress test, so I had to go for a follow up. It turned out to be nothing serious.

Anyway, my doctor's office is located in the same parking lot as our local shopping mall, so Carlos and I decided to take a little stroll inside. As we walked by Starbucks I said "You know, I never had a coffee from here." So Carlos offered to buy me one.

What a way to celebrate having a healthy heart-a jolt of caffeine!

We went inside and I scanned the menu which seemed to be written in Latin. Then I saw some words I was familiar with.

"I'll have a pumpkin spice coffee."

"Tall, Grande, or Venti?"

"Which one is the smallest?"

"That would be the Tall."

"Okay, I'll have that size." By now I was getting funny looks from the artsy fartsy twenty-somethings behind me on line.

"Do you want a latte?"

"Yes please." (I honestly had no idea what that meant-I figured I would go for the true Starbucks experience.)

She mixed together my "latte" and handed me the "tall" cup which was actually pretty short. Carlos handed her $3.75.

That is one pricey little cuppa Joe! It's a good thing I had already seen the cardiologist!

Anyway, it was a pretty good cup of coffee, but coffee always tastes better to me when it's made by someone else. Carlos made sure I drank every drop.

So I may visit Starbucks again in the near future, probably while doing my Christmas shopping. That usually puts me in a zombie-like trance and a caffeine buzz should zap me back to life. But first I must brush up on my latte lingo so I can order like the true coffee addict that I am. I might really splurge and get the Venti.

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is the hostess of More of Him Monday. If you would like to share with us, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

If I ever write my life story, it's going to be a cross between Marley and Me and Eat Pray Love. A dog guiding me along my spiritual journey? I know it sounds crazy, but lately our daily walks have taken an unexpected turn.

It used to be that during our walks, my mind was always elsewhere. I would walk Raven only because she wanted me to, and would annoy me until I finally got my butt off the couch and and put the leash around her neck. And once we were outside, all I could think about were all the things I had to do that evening or the next day. I wasn't enjoying these walks at all-I couldn't wait to return home.

I was too focused on the man-made world around me, mostly noticing the other houses and cars we passed along the way. Raven, on the other hand only seemed to see the "real world", the natural world, the one that God created. Maybe that's the reason she was enjoying these walks a whole lot more than I was.

So I decided to "see" the world through my dog's perspective and it really opened my eyes to all the beauty that surrounds me. No, I wasn't on all fours, but I just paid more attention to the natural part of the landscape. The subtle changes of the seasons, the songs of the different birds flying above, the sound of autumn leaves crunching under our feet, the colors of the sunset. And all this made me feel closer to God, for there was none of that man-made stuff clouding my vision.

It made me think of all the material things which hinder my relationship with Him.
And all that "mind clutter" piled inside my head which prevents me from hearing His quiet voice to guide me.

It is time for me to separate the wheat from the chaff and toss away what hinders my relationship with Him. A spiritual journey is a lifelong quest, with many twists and turns along the way. It's been a rough road for me at times and I really need to trust in Him more. And I know He wants nothing more than to guide me along that path, if only I will let Him. Maybe I'm the one who needs a leash.

Dad's Enchanted Cottage

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."
From "The Enchanted Cottage"

You don't know how many times I replayed a certain scene in that movie to make sure I quoted Dorothy McGuire correctly. Our pricey cable company is featuring The Enchanted Cottage in their On Demand free movie section, so you can pause, rewind, or fast forward a program just like you would a dvd. This movie is full of wonderful quotes, but that particular one is my favorite. It really spoke to me.

It's a sweet story about a scarred war veteran and a plain young woman who marry and live in the "Enchanted Cottage". At first they believe their marriage is a farce, but once they realize they are truly in love with each other, they make a physical transformation. The man no longer has his battle scars and the wife becomes a beautiful young woman. But this transformation is only seen by them. Because they "see" each other with their hearts instead of their eyes. Others still see the plain girl and scarred veteran.

So what does all this have to do with my Dad's house? Well since my Mom passed away a little over six years ago, Dad has gradually been filling his empty home with all kinds of stuff. The last time I stopped by there, he was not at home so it gave me the opportunity to really check out his ever-growing collection.

Here's just a bit of what I saw:

A large empty doll house sitting on the floor in the upstairs bedroom, aka "the girls room". (At one time or another, all of my sisters and I had lived in this room)

A statue of a young girl picking her nose on top of the dining room table.

Lots of fishing and car stuff.

My Mother's high school graduation picture sitting atop her old dresser.
This was kind of strange to see, because she never had this picture displayed while she was alive. I think once she became a wife and mother, she no longer identified with it and put it away.

And boxes and boxes of other stuff which I was afraid to peek into.

To me almost all of it, except for Mom's picture, was just a lot of junk. And the rest of it just struck me as being kind of weird. Why was my Dad filling his home with all these strange things?

While watching "The Enchanted Cottage" it occurred to me. I began to "see" Dad's stuff through his eyes and heart. Perhaps having all this stuff around was his way of keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

For that old picture of my Mom represented the pretty girl next door that he fell in love with and would later marry. Together they had bought this house and turned it into a home. They raised five children here.

And I noticed most of the fishing and car stuff was in my brother's old bedroom which is now the TV room. A kind of tribute to all the father-son moments spent enjoying these pastimes.

As for that dollhouse in the upstairs girls room, I believe it represents how Dad's four little girls made their own "transformations" into young women and went on to make homes of their own. For it was in this very room where we dressed as brides and bridesmaids for each other's weddings, and if I'm not mistaken, some of those gowns may still be lurking in the back of that closet.

And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid that nose-picking little girl statue reminded Dad of me.

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."

Thank you Dad, for keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

Christmas in November???

Today along the east coast we are bracing for the remnants of hurricane Noel. High winds, rain, and high tides are expected for part of today. Guess where my wacky hubby is? Down by the waterfront fishing!!!

I've chosen to stay home and do laundry in case we lose power later. And it is kind of nasty looking out there. Anyway, I'm also "test driving" the new medication my doctor has prescribed for me. I'm reading the warning labels on the side and they say things like "May cause dizziness, do not operate heavy machinery".

Does a washer and dryer qualify as "heavy machinery"?

Also don't forget to turn back the clocks tonight. I wish there was a way to "re-program" my dog and kitty as well, for I know they will be waking us up super early in the morning.

Anyway, enjoy your extra hour tomorrow and have a great weekend!

Show And Tell

Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home is the hostess of Show And Tell Friday. If you would like to join the fun, please visit Kelli's blog and leave a link to your post.

I am a bit late for Show and Tell this week and wouldn't you know it-I decided to show some of my clocks. We are "falling back" this weekend so I thought I would show a little bit of my collection.

This chef clock hangs in my kitchen. I like kitschy kitchen things, especially clocks.



This teapot clock also hangs in my kitchen:



And this carved wooden clock hangs in the dining room:



I also have several more and let's just say I will be busy on Sunday turning all these clocks back! The kitty clock on my blog has changed by itself already so that's one less to worry about!

(It's kind of strange how I love to collect clocks and I'm rarely on time for anything!)

Thank you for looking at my Show And Tell and thank you Kelli for hosting.